


Playing for Kicks, or Playing for Keeps?

by lyl_i_am



Category: Amar a Muerte (TV), Juliantina - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Sports, Complete, F/F, Slow Burn, juliantina au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-09 04:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20500430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyl_i_am/pseuds/lyl_i_am
Summary: Valentina is that girl who plays all the sports. Meanwhile, Juliana is the mysterious and elusive student, who was a new transfer, and tries her best not to stand out. After a brief glance, Valentina has been struck by the lightning of infatuation for Juliana.Along with Valentina's friends, read on to find out how she and her team win Valentina's chip for her endgame.Based off of a tumblr prompt by https://estamos-destinadas.tumblr.com/





	1. Chapter 1

I

The hottest days of summer had come to a close as the new school year once again began. The fluorescent light flickered and hummed above a cluttered classroom in which the souls of diverse restless beings resided together. Their minds and thoughts are elsewhere yet they floated above close to the ceiling, hovering like smog in the air, opaque and transparent.

Equations and numbers scattered the room as the figure to the front wormed his chalk onto the board to solve an inconclusive solution. To the back, masses of clueless, half-dazed students slouched on their chair, tapping their nails, doodling, and chattering. It is clear that they have returned, with great reluctance and ill adjustments, to their usual school routine.

At the very back of the room, a drowsy silence loomed over a girl—taller than average with distinct feature of a cloudless summer blue skies for eyes, light chestnut strands, roguish lips and neatly shaped brows—peering out of the window idly with her elbows on the table, propping up her chin, as a single cloud passed by. Her legs fidgeting restlessly, readying itself to sprint, her hands folding and unfolding, her brows knitted into incredibly tight rolls, and her gaze shifting animatedly, as if scanning the room like a hawk. Her anxiousness slowly frittered away as the clock points its hand a minute away from their freedom; heaving a big sigh, Valentina leaned on her desk and uttered,

'God, I’m so bored!'

'But you’re always bored,' scoffed the voice to her right.

'Shut up.

________________

At the sound of the bell, Valentina and her friends went down to lunch with the rest of the student body, darting off into their own respective cliques. As she entered the cafeteria, heads turned in her direction and there was a good deal of excited murmuring. Valentina saw, with great satisfaction, how her ex-boyfriend, Lucho—who was laughing with his friends—abruptly stopped as she walked by; he sat still and openly gawked at her with wide eyes, thunderstruck at her appearance as Valentina had gotten even more beautiful over the summer.

‘Did you see his face?’ her friend Nayeli scoffed, looking back at Lucho. ‘Probably wished y’all didn’t break up, ugh, serves him right!’

Valentina, too, was basking in the reflected glory of her summer bloom.

‘Girls, let’s not waste our energy talking about him,’ said Mayela, as she dragged Valentina and Nayeli towards the table where the rest of their friends sat, ‘I can see Renata and Kayla over there, already stuffing their faces, let’s go.’

They walked over to the table and sat down on the bench opposite them, with their backs to the door. Kayla, who was busy chomping down her lunch, two fries at a time, leaned over the table, close to Valentina and hissed in-between chewing, ‘Fuck face was looking at you, you saw?’—’Geez Kayla, language!’ Renata interjected and slammed her palm onto the table, knocking the can of pop—’Oh shit, sorry!’—and spilling the contents all over. The rest of the girls groaned, ‘Damn it Renata!’ and scurried to dab the table dry with napkins.

  
Valentina threw her head back and slapped her thighs as she watched her friends’ hilarious antics. She couldn’t be any happier and glad to have met them on her first year; her past two years of high school was filled with so much laughter and great memories, all thanks to them. She’s quite sure that her third year will be even better.

‘Oh lookie there,’ Nayeli announced as she twirled her curly locks, ‘here comes them niners!’ and nodded her head towards the door.

Sure enough as they turned, there were throngs of new faces entering the cafeteria, all doe-eyed, surveying the land for a safe corner to claim until the rest of the year. The majority of them banded together and settled at the other end of the room. They were unpacking their lunch and looking around with expressions of interest and mild intimidation.

‘Were we like that on our first year?’ Renata wondered out loud as she examined the new students, “they look so young, like babies!’

They merely shrugged their shoulders and returned their attention to lunch; the room seemed somehow much more crowded and noisy than usual—it is the first day back after all, Valentina thought to herself as she continued eating and half-listened to Kayla and Nayeli chirp about the latest back to school gossip.

Mayela was examining her new timetable; her face scrunched up in deep concentration and demanded the group for theirs as well, presumably to plot out their spare classes together. Valentina rummaged her bag for her copy and as she turned to her right to pry it out—_wow_—Valentina flushed.

She stared up at a girl, wearing a plain red t-shit with cascading curly end locks, roguish lips, slightly knit brows and sun-caressed skin, sitting just a few feet away from them. The girl had just finished eating and was busy packing away her lunch container and sketch pad. Valentina looked on as the girl stood to pick up her bag, tossed back her jet black hair and slung the bag strap over her right shoulder, in one fluid motion. As the girl turned to leave, for a brief moment, their eyes meet.

Valentina opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. The girl paused for a beat too long, and Valentina couldn’t help but watched the girl’s expression flirted with the idea of hello but all too quickly dismissed it and instead settled for a half smile.

As she crossed, Valentina followed her line of sight and leaned onto Mayela so she could keep a clear view of her until she took the corner down the hall and disappeared.

‘When you’re done staring, can I have that timetable I’ve asked for?’ said Mayela.

The girls started to laugh and the sound seemed to jog Valentina back to her senses.

_Who was that?_

‘I know who she is,’ Renata whispered and wagged her brows, clearly teasing her for amusement.

‘Who—’

Just then the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch and everyone, collectively rushed to stow away their belongings and proceeded to class.

'You shall know in due time!'

  
She beamed and stood up abruptly with a crazed excitement on her face; an expression she often wears that signals a fast approaching mischief. She then placed her hands in one big swooping motion and dragged Kayla out of cafeteria, ‘Ow, shit Ren wait,’ trailed with fits, grumbles and savoury pickings of cuss words.

Valentina tiptoed and hollered after them, ‘tell me—later at volleyball practice, after school!’ But it was too late. From either end of the hallway came the sound of students, loud laugher and happy talks of well-fed people. As she lost sight of them, she let Nayeli and Mayela dragged her towards their next class, shuffling along in the crowded hallway.

.

.

.


	2. Chapter 2

II

The days seemed to have collapsed overnight and the telltale signs of the changing season showed itself from the window, where the leaves swayed lazily about in accordance to the wind’s impulsive path, stripped of their summer’s green lustre, until they fall and joined the earth once more. With a day left, the conclusion of September brings about the beginning of this season’s athletics fanfare—the homecoming game. The atmosphere of the school was buzzing with excited anticipation, as pupils and staff alike, were eager to watch the women’s volleyball team defend their championship against their school rivals.

By that time, however, Valentina Carvajal was not concerned with the upcoming home opener, nor was she moved to persevere in their projected victory, for at that moment (and several before), she had been operating with one last remaining brain cell; she was distracted and in disarray and ready to forget everything else in life, because she had been struck by the lightning of infatuation for—

‘Julieta!’ said Nayeli, her face lit with enthusiasm as they badger Valentina for the umpteenth time during practice; they were sprinting around the gym for their warm up.

‘No, Juliet!’ wheezed Renata, who had joined the rest of the gang into pestering their friend and was beaming a wicked grin in between a jog and a sprint which then prompted Kayla, who was lagging behind, to stand atop the bleachers with her hands clasped together and tucked under her left cheek and quipped in a dramatic fashion,

‘Oh Juliana, wherefore art thou Juliana!? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name, or, if thou wilt not, Valentina will no longer be a Carvajal!’

The gym rang with laughter. Even the rest of the team joined in, having heard about Valentina’s ongoing lady-lunch woes since first practice and offered to scope out some information about her stunning cafeteria girl; although Renata wasn’t exactly kidding when she said she knows her, the only problem was, all Renata seems to know (and the entire student body, for that matter) was her name, Juliana Valdes and that she was a year their junior. No one seems to know where she came from, what hobbies she was into and where she hangs out at lunch or after class.

Valentina watched, half amused and half exasperated at her team’s relentless teasing, ‘you guys are such jerks sometimes, really,’ she shook her head in mock disbelief and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

Mayela rolled her eyes, ‘run and talk, slow pokes!’ she berated as she passed the rest of the team for the second time and sassed her way ahead. The girls gave her a look of indignant as Kayla caught up to them and flipped Mayela a not so friendly bird behind her back. Renata swatted her hand away, ‘Anyway Vale,’ she huffed and shoved Kayla aside, ‘if you’re that desperate, why not just look through the office for’—‘Are you suggesting her to break into the office for some stupid student files?’ Nayeli looked at her incredulously, her eyes bulging and her hand suspended in the air at disbelief.

‘Oh shit Ren, that’s borderline juvenile!’ Kayla snorted and slapped Renata on the back, ‘and y’all think I’m the delinquent!?’ she clapped her hands in mock amazement.

‘No no, not like that! I’d never!’ she back pedalled into a halt and started, ‘You can like volunteer at the office during lunch hours; you know once the secretary, Ms. Ramirez, goes for lunch, you’ll be answering some phone calls, take messages and manage the entrance door locks,’ she explained and continued, ‘besides, you’ll get full view of the security cameras of the entire school grounds, maybe we can see where she goes for lunch and’—

‘Dude no, that sounds so tedious! Besides, we have intramural games during lunch!’ said Nayeli abruptly. Kayla rounded her, ‘well ya got better idea, McCurly?’ she said hotly, cracking her knuckles and daring her to say one more word. They scowled at each other and Nayeli sprinted passed them in a huff, ‘whatever.’

Valentina jogged along, staring ahead as the rest of the team assembled to their side of the court to stretch and contemplated in silence. She followed her friends, still bickering and encircled around Mayela in the middle, leading the stretches. It wasn’t the most horrible prospect, but Nayeli was right, that plan does seem tedious and _will _clash with their intramural games.

She bent over in a lunge to stretch her calf muscles, mimicking Mayela at the front as she yelled out the seconds to hold their position; she shuffled to lunge with the other foot, but before she can position herself, she straightened up suddenly, looking around the gym and to the stands.

_This is a closed practice, no one should be here._

A funny prickling on the back of her neck had made Valentina feel she was being watched, but the stands behind her appeared deserted, and no lights shone from the second floor balcony.

Again, she bent over in a lunge, but almost instantly stood up, abandoning her stretches altogether; she had sensed rather than heard it, someone was definitely spying on their practice. She squinted her eyes towards the balcony, if only they would move then maybe she can spot them.

There was a deafening whistle and Valentina threw her hands up to shield her ears against the sound. ‘Gather round ladies!’ their coach bellowed at them as they crowd around in front of her. Valentina craned her neck towards the balcony once again for good measure and decided to leave the matter for later on.

‘As you all know, tomorrow is our opener game and I want everyone in their top shape,’ Mrs. Camacho looked around this year’s team with determined look, it’s not the tallest team she had, but the girls are pretty good and can jump, if that’s any consolation. She continued, ‘we lost a good chunk of our seniors from last year, but I’m confident that we can take it further this year.’ The team looked at each other and nodded in equal determination, ‘I’ll announce the first stringers for tomorrow, get in position when I call out your name.’

‘Mayela you’re setter, Nayeli middle block, Valentina left hitter, Renata right hitter, Kayla you’re libero, Karla right back, and Alison to the left.’

The second stringers was announced and assumed their place at the opposite side of the net and they scrimmaged to refine and simulate the various drills they have been perfecting all month long.

By six o’clock, the night had fallen and they were dismissed; Valentina and her team walked out of the gym, discussing their formation for tomorrow and what worked and what didn’t. They were halfway through the foyer, when Mayela lightly pulled Valentina aside and they hang back at a slower pace behind the group, ‘whatever idea you guys were cooking up earlier, I suggest you don’t,’ she whispered, ‘I have a feeling your mysterious lady will show up soon enough.’

Valentina didn’t say anything. She took a deep breath as relief washed over her and they set off for their respective rides, waiting by the school’s front entrance; Valentina slung her arms and hugged Mayela, glad that she too, had noticed the presence earlier, ‘yeah, I think you’re right.’

_______________

At a quarter to three, the women’s volleyball team set off for their big game. They could hear the rest of the school moving into the stadium-sized gym beyond and along they brought in an electric anxiousness and excitement that permeated through the walls and into the changing room. Valentina felt oddly separated from everyone around her; she watched as the girls get changed and do their pre-game routines with Mayeli, as the captain, was giving a small pep talk and Kayla, as assistant captain, was throwing in her adlibs of trash talks. Valentina donned her neatly pressed uniform for the first time this year—a new fitted gold and black two-toned cap sleeves shirt, with white trim on its collar and their school crest in the upper right chest with her jersey number (11) in the middle. At the back of the shirt, her surname ‘Carvajal’ was embroidered in bold lettering and her jersey number displayed underneath. She was facing the mirror and was about to check her behind, when she wondered suddenly whether Juliana Valdes was in the crowd, watching.

‘Don’t worry Carvajal, your butt looks great in those booty shorts, I’m sure she’ll be impressed!’ Renata shouted from across the room and at once, the tumultuous nervousness in the room dissipated and they all laughed in earnest for the first time today.

  
They walked out onto the gym to thundering applause. Their opposing team, dressed in red, were already positioned on their side of the court. Even without a quick scan of the crowd, Valentina couldn’t help noticing, as nervous as she was, that the extremely pretty girl who was sitting right at the front row bleachers, was none other than Juliana Valdes. She smiled at Valentina as the teams faced each other behind their captains, and Valentina felt her face flushed bright red and bit her lips; she nodded at Juliana’s way in acknowledgement and she felt a slight jolt in her stomach that she’s sure had nothing to do with nerves.

A whistle had blown somewhere, signalling the beginning of the match.

The team started in a 5-1 formation with Mayela, as the setter, was positioned to the front of the net, while the remaining players readied themselves behind her for a pass. The right back position stood with one foot inside the service line to take the first serve; she sent the ball whirring past the net with a spinning overhand serve that was clumsily dug by the opposite team. The ball was sent back to their side of the court; Kayla, from the back, easily bumped the ball to the setter to the front where Mayela called for the second touch, ‘Mine!’ and made a jump set, sending the ball nice and high to her left for the final attack.

Valentina marked the airborne ball with a raised left hand; for the approach, she took one big stride and swung her right hand for momentum and leaped with her hands well above the net. She connected with the ball at the very apex of her jump—_perfect timing_—spiking the ball in a whopping _kill_ that was no match for the opponent’s blockers and grounding the ball with a loud thump.

Valentina succeeded in scoring their first point of the match and the home crowd went wild. She turned to the bleachers and caught sight of Juliana; she was grinning and clapping wholeheartedly. Valentina spurned on by this, felt bold and sent her a winning wink—

  
‘VALENTINA, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A CASANOVA!’ hollered Nayeli, as Valentina took her position on the court, ‘Get your head in the game!’

Another serve came whirring passed the net and this time the rival team were more prepared to receive the pass. Their setter called for the second ball and sent the ball to their left hitter, who then replied with a hard hit. Valentina and Nayeli jumped to make the block, they were successful in stopping the ball going over, but then the ball bounced back onto the opposite court, out of the bounds. The opposing team scored.

The match went on with long and exciting rallies between the two teams; by the end of the fourth set, both teams won two sets apiece, and the game’s thrilling tone now reached its crescendo as both teams stared each other down from their respective side of the net, with the home team sitting on a nervous lead of 1-point advantage for a nail biting 14-13 set game. The team positioned themselves on the balls of their feet, squatting low, hands outstretched forward and at the ready, determined to win the last set to decide the winner.

The sound of the whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as the ball soared from one side of the court to another. Valentina, from the back court, steeled herself to receive a hard spike from the opposing hitter, who has been sending rocket-like shots the entire game. Valentina squatted low to the ground as her team blocked the initial touch and the ball bounced off-course towards the left side of the court, out of bounds. With a great rush of adrenaline, Valentina dived forward to save the ball from grounding. She slid forward for a _pancake_; her belly and chest made contact with the floor, and swept towards the ball with a stretched left hand that slipped under the ball, just in time before it hits the ground. The ball bounced high, from the back of her hand, and in play where Renata was luckily able to hit the ball back to the opposing team, who were then caught off guard and dug the ball to the net.

The home crowd exploded and were screaming themselves hoarse as their team won the game. Renata was jumping for joy and Kayla seized Valentina around the neck and cheered into her shoulder and the rest of the team tangled together, with Valentina at the centre of the jubilant huddled hug.

  
A thundering applause and whistles was pouring in from the bleachers and beyond the chaos, Valentina spotted Juliana standing from the front row bleachers, beaming at her.

Later on, as Valentina recounted to her team, that perhaps it was the heat of the moment, or maybe from the euphoria of winning, but suddenly Valentina found herself fighting her way through crowd, towards the girl. And as she stood in front of the very shocked Juliana, her nerves almost failed her again, but this time, she recovered quickly, ‘señorita, vamos por un café?’ she exhaled her offerings breathlessly as if she had been running a marathon. She watched closely as Juliana’s expression flashed a slight panic from the quick furrow of her brows—at this Valentina quickly uttered barely above whisper, ‘por fa,’ and bit her lips for an added charm, hoping to coax the girl into agreeing.

Juliana’s cheeks reddened as the ends of her lips curled up and the corner of her eyes creased, ‘really?’ she asked. Valentina nodded her head so quickly it’s a miracle she didn’t get a whiplash, ‘yes, really,’ she assured. Juliana barely contained her giddiness with a hand over her face to hide a wide grin; she crinkled her eyes shut briefly as if relishing the moment, bit her lips and shook her head in disbelief.

Just as Valentina thought Juliana had forgotten she was standing there, waiting with bated breath for her reply, Juliana gazed at her, visibly composed and nodded, ‘ok.’

Valentina felt herself blushing and as the words sunk, she gushed unabashedly and punched the air in triumph as if she won a championship. Her face brightened with joy and as she stuttered out her phone number to Juliana unintelligibly, Valentina knew this is the best win of her sports career thus far.

.

.

.


	3. Chapter 3

III

For Juliana, September is, by far, a better January.

Unlike January, September brings about a transition that is apparent; from the way the air suddenly cools in the morning and at night, from the way the sun instantly sets at six o’clock instead of eight, and the way the nature’s green foliage gracefully filter itself in sepia.

Everything about September paints a more prominent change in the way of the world (or at least hers); and for many students, the ninth month, marks an important beginning of their year.

So on the very first Monday of September, with a spring in her steps and a usual bubbling excitable affair that most first days of school brings, she maneuvered her way through a bustling crowd of students and settled into her class. She peered out the window and saw a clear, pale blue sky; a good omen to start the day.

Time rushed in snapshots, so that in one moment Juliana seemed to be sitting down in her first lesson and the next, she was walking down the busy hallway for lunch. She settled at the farthest table in the back, away from the stampeding hordes of students, facing the double doors of the cafeteria’s entrance.

To her left, a girl was busying herself with reserving multiple chairs, presumably waiting for a party of four. As the girl finally sat down, contented and unhurried, she looked around and her eyes glinted having caught Juliana watching her.

‘Hey, I’m Renata, third year, you?’ the girl asked and flashed a full set of white teeth and a rather large mouth Juliana thinks, but a pretty smile nonetheless.

Juliana shook the proffered hand and replied, ‘I’m Juliana, second year, and I’m a new transfer.’

The girl, Renata, nodded her head and snapped her fingers, ‘Oh, no wonder you don’t look familiar,’ she said and began to unzip her bag.

Juliana drummed her fingers, thinking of a way to continue the conversation but she was quickly spared from the agony, as one of Renata’s friends came hurtling down and yanked Renata’s arm for attention.

The girl had long straight black hair and a fair skin; and although she was petite, her face and demeanor exudes a harsh tenacity that can pack a punch if you dare bristled her the wrong way.

Juliana watched silently, as the girl fumes and balled her hands into fists, ‘Can you believe the fucking balls of that guy,’ she spat and threw her thumbs out blindly into a general direction where several boys sat howling with laughter. ‘I just passed by their table and I hear that shit face Lucho, talking smack about Vale.’

She watched Renata throw a disgusted look at the table across the room, and reached to uncurl her friend’s hands and sat her down, ‘Kayla, forget about that idiot, he’s history.’

Juliana, now forgotten, nodded in a silent agreement with Renata’s remark and began to eat her lunch. She tuned out the rest of the girls’ conversation and drew haphazardly in her sketch pad, uninterrupted.

She had just raised the water bottle to her lips when the room hushed into a pregnant pause and everyone in the room stared at an unexpected omen—_godsend—_with long flowy auburn locks, rosy lips, neatly shaped brows and pearly skin.

_She goes to this school?! What are the odds?_

Juliana isn’t the superstitious kind, but after seeing those familiar astonishingly blue-pale sapphire eyes, she reflected that perhaps it was just her stars aligning; she’s convinced, as a consolation despite having nothing, at least Lady Luck was on her side.

And when she gives, it really rains.

For example, it was no coincidence that in one smouldering summer day of July, they received a call from an attorney about Perlita; her aging godmother, whom they visit two to three times a year, kicked the bucket unceremoniously, without a birth heir to name, and happened to bequeathed all her assets to Juliana. This said assets includes the humble and fully paid abode they’ve visited on an off-chanced holidays.

And so, like any other inheritor, they thanked their lucky stars, sent a grateful prayer to their unexpected benefactress and packed their bags and moved into the new city to claim their hand-me-down home and hand-me-grasp future.

They leave behind their unlucky miserable life of poverty, a luckless man whom she unfortunately calls father, and a bag pack full of worry that’s too heavy for a sixteen year old to carry.

Once they have settled into their homely bungalow, they finally found their life in order; much like the way sweet Perlita dusted her little trinkets and ceramic figurines, all neatly lined up in the glass hutch, Lupita, her mom, had nabbed a full-time gig in a nearby school as part of the caretaking staff. As for Juliana, she was poised to attend the supposed best school in the district, which happens to be the same school where Lupita will work at.

One school, one trip and one fare; all neatly lined up towards a peaceful linear life that may seem boring to most, but most certainly welcomed to the Valdes’ new life.

And as if somebody had just turned the volume back up—for the first time, Juliana was brought back to the present and became properly aware of the noise of the crowd, which was humming with excited murmurs.

As the girl with pale sapphire eyes crossed the hall, many boys’ heads turned, and some of them seemed to have become temporarily speechless.

However, no one was more speechless than Juliana herself, when the girl gracefully slid into a chair diagonally across from her, with her long auburn locks cascading almost down to her waist. The girl beamed a perfect crescent, and although it was clearly directed to the girl’s circle of friends, Juliana felt the colour rising in her face.

She tried her best to keep to herself, but was finding it difficult when her ears were ringing red from the little purrs and giggles that Valentina (whose name she indiscreetly overheard), was making. She kept her eyes trained onto her sketches but every time Valentina’s voice echoes (a voice she not yet heard a thousand words, but was already familiar in her ears), she can’t help but steal furtive glances.

‘Vale, give me your timetable,’ demanded the short-haired girl with sharp nose and haughty eyes.

She braved another flitting glimpse at Valentina’s delicate features, and marveled at the hint of her sun-kissed skin that she must’ve soaked up from the endless soccer games over the summer.

Juliana chewed at her lips and massaged the nape of her neck; she hadn’t meant to find out this bit of information. As much as she reproached herself, she doesn’t regret spending the better days of her summer hanging around the outskirts of the soccer field, just to watch Valentina play.

She wanted more than anything to find an excuse to stay rooted there, across the girl. What wouldn’t Juliana have given to be one of those girls, sitting around laughing and be on the receiving end of those lovely smiles?

But alas, she knew it was time to go.

She packed her things and got to her feet. She trod along and dared a last surreptitious glance and was stunned when a matching pair of deep blue orbs bore right back.

_Oh! _

Her breath hitched and her stomach lurched. She stared blankly while Valentina sought her eyes as if grasping beyond into her core, captivated, and motioned to say something. She braced herself for an inquisition but when she found Valentina mummed, uttering a simple greeting flickered in her head but thought better of it and instead, she settled on a smile. All she managed was a half grimace, however, soon the intensity of her stare was too much to bear and she felt her entire body ignited.

She set off at once; it felt like an inordinately long walk where the exit didn’t seem to be getting nearer at all and she could feel Valentina’s eyes upon her like a light beam.

But she walked on and fought the urged to scamper away, undignified.

As she reached the hallways, away from Valentina’s limelight, somewhere under Juliana’s dumb-struck state, she felt a current of exhilaration and gave out a suppressed squeal of delight.

She was feeling happier than she had done in ages.

Who knew this September would turned out to be memorable than most?

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes words comes to me like a river, calm and unhurried, flowing seamless onto the lake; then sometimes it comes pouring out like a raging storm, that the more I cusp my hands to grasp, the more they fall away. And at times where I had to fish for words, the write becomes fragments, a disjointed thought onto the next. To this I lament and toil over, but still, we write on.
> 
> I write, 'cause if I didn't, I think I'd scream.


	4. Chapter 4

IV

‘Christ, she’s fast!’

Juliana ran as fast as she had never run in her life, knocking two garbage bins on her path as she passed; she zigzagged between passerby, dodging, barely missing them and hearing the tail end of their curses. She sprinted, trailing along the girl, unaware how her legs aches from the impromptu dash, her whole being concentrated on what she had to do.

Ten feet away, the girl stopped abruptly and spun around to check the surrounding, as if sensing a trail—at this, Juliana dived behind a parked car to avoid getting caught. She heaved a laborious breath, crouched, and chanced a peek from where she hid and saw that the girl had started a good distance ahead, running towards the park.

She stood up and slapped her thighs in defeat. She took a moment to even out her breathing and panted, all the while keeping the girl ahead in her line of sight. There was no way she’d be able to catch up to her, she can only wish the girl would stop running.

Juliana was never the kind to submit to curiosities, but this particular situation, she reasoned to herself, warranted a proper explanation. And so, with a burning curiosity, she took off once again, into a hurried jog, hoping to regain a comfortable distance from the runner before she completely lose sight of her.

_______

‘Oh God, she’s here!’

With the help of her mom’s position at school, Juliana was able to roam free the vast school grounds after hours and familiarized herself with hidden passageway and shortcuts that was privy only to the school’s principal and caretakers.

The first time she made use of these shortcuts was when she heard instantly, rather than see, Valentina, stomping and whimpering onto the hallway well passed after-school hours, looking worse for wear. Her friends and teammates followed closely behind, dragging their bags and scuffing the floor with their shoes, groaning and grunting loudly about Mrs. Camacho’s ruthless fitness regime.

Juliana hadn’t meant to hide or flee, and as much as she would like to at least get a glimpse of Valentina, her pride just wouldn’t allow it. Had she known Valentina and her friends were going to come trudging by the very hallway she had just finished sweeping, she wouldn’t have dared don the spare caretaker’s navy overalls and volunteered to help her mom.

________

_I am not a stalker!_

Juliana chided herself for the umpteenth time, as she leaned on the wall with her arms folded, tucked in a corner at the very back of the stands where the bright lights of the grand gymnasium never reached.

Just below, she can see the women’s volleyball team getting ready for their big match tomorrow; they were filed into two lines, jogging into an endless lap around the court.

Her eyes, as always, landed easily to a girl with auburn strands tied into a messy top knot. She watched her run almost five laps around the court without a hint of fatigue and a surprising stamina; her slender and sinewy legs striding along seamlessly, easily outpacing the rest.

A running curiosity—a running muse, Juliana thinks.

She had formed a liking for watching Valentina, discreetly, an unfortunate and a revolting habit that she struggled to curb. She was no peeping tom that much she knows, but she just can’t seem to tear her eyes away from the girl and admire her from afar while she’s in her element.

There was something revering seeing Valentina excel in her sports with a look of sheer determination and focus; her indomitable spirit graces through, infectious even.

And if she’s being honest with herself, Juliana finds Valentina just oh so painfully and frustratingly attractive.

She lapsed into a thoughtful silence and recalled back in August, when the day was unbearably hot and she was dreadfully bored; having finished cleaning the already gleaming house that she now owned, there was nothing left to do but loiter around. She sat on a rocking chair by the veranda, gulping an iced tea and observed the lawns that were once shamrock green now lay patching and yellowing due to the sweltering sun. She looked across the street and stood up slowly, realizing something.

‘Mom, I’m going for a walk!’ Juliana called out to her mom and proceeded down the street, south bound. With just a minute passed, Juliana was already sweating profusely, but pushed on, her burning curiosity overcoming the heat. She stopped not a moment too long and gave a small laugh as she now faced an interesting intersection.

The street sectioned off towards the east and west, and though there was nothing peculiar about that, what caught Juliana’s attention was how the two streets differ and shockingly contrast from one another.

She turned her head to the left and observed that the houses west bound were smaller in size, shabbier looking and had an impression of dim grimy feel that she was accustomed to growing up. She then turned her head to the right, east bound, and awed at the magnanimous mansions with golf-tiered lawn and luxurious cars, a clear sign of opulence. 

It struck her funny how she grew up being marginalized all her life and now here she is, living in a house that sat on a literal border of privileged and underprivileged neighbourhood. She never paid attention to that economic border, as she had always lived on the impoverished side of the line, but here, she now has the chance to step out of that line and wade through the other end of the spectrum.

And so she did. Juliana, with sweat on her brow and light pant on her breath, stepped into the sweltering heat, east bound, to pursue a flighty temptress, adventure.

She set off at a leisurely pace, past a quaint café and a few houses. The street was lined up perfectly with several tall leafy trees which shaded the path and brought along a cooler breeze that she was hoping for back on her veranda. As she went along, she noticed how the houses grew bigger and bigger the deeper she delved into the neighbourhood. 

‘Oh my god, look at that house,’ she stopped short and gaped at a grand residence ahead. From where she stood, she can see a wide driveway that led off onto the front steps of impressive wooden double doors. The house was barred with imposing wrought-iron gates and bordered with high hedges that curved along the property line beyond the distance.

‘Wow…’ she muttered to herself and as she turned to move along, she heard a noisy rustle somewhere. She followed the source of the noise and there, across the street on the edge of the house’s property line, a girl emerged from under the bushes—her eyes glinted blue and her lips quirked in mischief—dusted herself and scurried off, a duffel bag dangling off her shoulder.

_What the…did she just came out of the bushes…a thief?!_

Suddenly, Juliana was filled with an overwhelming curiosity and with a rush of adrenaline, she ran off to trail the girl in hopes of bringing her to justice or something of that nature, she was not yet sure then.

‘Christ, she’s fast!’

And then it all made sense as Juliana rounded the corner and watched the girl chucked the duffel bag onto the bench, just outside the lines of the soccer field, apparently late for a match. The girl hastily pulled her hair in a bun, signalled a thumbs up to her teammates and without missing a beat, she crossed her arms downwards to reach the hem of her shirt and pulled it off over her head.

A flash of black sports bra against a porcelain skin and rugged abdomen was a sight Juliana wasn’t prepared for.

_Oh Jesus…_

Before she realized, she had positioned herself just at the outskirts of the field where the farthest bleachers are.

She sat and watched in awe as the girl, now wearing a number eleven black and yellow striped jersey, bolted onto the field from the halfway line and received a pass from the midfielder. She pumped her legs for a burst of speed, dribbling down the right side of the field, just outside the eighteen yard box. She pivoted away from two opposing defenders that flanked her. An abrupt stop and an even quicker side-step, she kicked the ball between the poor defender’s legs, regained possession of the ball and made a short pass to her left, towards an oncoming teammate pulling up at the foot of the penalty area. A well-timed and rehearsed quick pass-and-go occurred and Juliana couldn’t believe her eyes when number eleven darted across the goal area and easily tipped her teammate’s pass goal side, well away from the keeper’s reach.

_Unbelievable…not even a minute into the game and she scores!—_

‘Oh Juliana, wherefore art thou Juliana!? Deny thy father, and refuse thy name, or, if thou wilt not, Valentina will no longer be a Carvajal!’

A shrill voice bellowed out loud and the gym rang with laughter.

_Wait, what?!?_

Having heard her name, Juliana was pulled out of her reverie and nearly tumbled over where she stood; her brows shot up and her eyes bulged, a terrible panic bubbling, thinking she had been found out.

She gasped and fumbled for the master key, scampering to exit the balcony, but then thought better of it—

_Why would Kayla say that?_

__________

‘Oh shit shit shit!’

Juliana ran as fast as she had never run in her life, almost knocking two garbage bins on her path as she passed; she zigzagged between passerby, dodging, barely missing them and hearing the tail end of their curses. She sprinted, with a sense of deja vu, wholly aware how her legs aches and how her shirt sticks to her back, drenched in sweat.

In her blind panic about the proposed coffee, she had stayed up all night in a ball of stress and overslept.

She looked down at her watch, she was an hour late. A large, dead weight seemed to fall through her chest into her stomach.

She pounded through the sidewalk until the café’s awning came into view and she skidded into a halt and panted.

She yanked the door open with a surprising brute force and the store front’s bell clanged harshly against the mellow jazz playing in the background.

Juliana bent over, hands on her knees, gasping for breath; the side of her hips was cramping, but there was no time to get rid of it.

She looked around. Saved from the barista that stood at the front, wiping the counter, there was no one else inside the café.

It was a bright sunny Saturday afternoon, but with every tick of the clock and ragged breath, Juliana’s face darkened as if churning out a mad storm.

  
She groped for her phone in her jean’s back pocket and found none.

Her hands were trembling now as she drew them to her face in frustration and as she combed her hair with her fingers, along came out a bitter anger that poured out of her mouth, and before she knew it, Juliana screamed in aggravation.

‘OH FUCK ME!—

‘Woah, I’d love to, but I think we should keep it nice and slow.’

Juliana spun around and stomped her feet, ready to murder a meddling smart-ass.

She glared at a pair of piercing blue eyes, still breathing deeply, and then turned away from them.

This is not how she pictured her Saturday coffee.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Staggered moments, cold openings, experimental writes and a waning motivation resulted this chapter. I hope it wasn't too unsightly, sorry!
> 
> Let me know what you think.
> 
> Enjoy.


	5. Chapter 5

V

‘Shit load of unnecessary tears today, don’t you think?’

She was pressing the binoculars so hard to her eyes, straining, as if it would magically echo the sound from the café into her ears.

‘You’re such an ass, I swear—‘

‘Ok ok, got here soon as I can, what did I miss?! Tell me, tell me!’ shouted Nayeli, who was scrambling to unmount her bike and hopping on her left foot towards the nearby chair where the rest of the gang was gathered. She spun the chair around so it was now facing the street across. She squinted her eyes to see beyond the large bay window of a storefront, but can barely make out the faces inside.

She quirked her brows quizzically to the rest of the group to which Kayla merely responded by handing her the binoculars, ‘See for yourself.’

She scoped out the view and sees them, ‘What the hell happened??’ she turned to her friends with her left hand hanging in the air, grasping for an answer.

All of them just stared blankly, unwilling to answer.

Renata looked away, Mayela tutted, and Kayla rolled her eyes and said, ‘Fine, I’ll tell you…

Nayeli nodded her head to listen with rapt attention.

It was a fine sunny day—

‘Oh my god Kayla! Get to the damn point!’

‘Do not interrupt!!! I’ll tell it the way I want to! Anyway…’

Valentina had not yet picked her outfit. She wanted to make a great impression, but didn’t want to come off a try hard. Several outfits lay strewn on the floor, undecidedly, unworthy for the great coffee date. Valentina stood in front of the mirror, cradling a cute blouse on a hanger and pressed it against her front, tilting her head to see if it’ll match the pants she’s currently wearing.

‘Ugh! Why is this so hard!’ she huffed and chucked the blouse away, adding to the growing pile of rejects. Frustrated, she plopped on the bed, tousled her hair in annoyance and began to thrash around in utter agony.

  
Just then, her phone rang and Valentina immediately jumped from the bed onto the window nook, digging under a pile of clothes, and grabbed her phone.

With ragged breath, ‘H-hello!’ she answered.

‘Vale! Picked an outfit yet?’ said the voice on the other line.

‘Oh Renata, no…I’m torn between two outfits.’

‘Send a picture!’

Valentina laid out a white tank top matched with faded flared out jeans and a black fitted midi dress that stops just before her knees. She took a quick snap and sent it.

After a quick pause, Renata responded, ‘Go with the dress and show off those legs!’

Valentina beamed, at least that’s one problem solved.

___________

It was a little pass noon by the time Valentina made her way to the quaint coffee shop near the park. Although she was half an hour early, she couldn’t help look up every time the bell jingle, signalling an oncoming customer. She had been repeatedly looking at her watch and the clock in turns and looking anxiously towards the entrance.

  
Just then, the door of the café had opened. The noise from the bustling city flooded the otherwise quiet establishment and Valentina looked up immediately and her face fell just as instantly. It was just another patron. She was about to look down on her phone, counting down the minutes, when she did a double take and scrunched up her eyes beyond the large bay window, towards the patio from a restaurant across the street.

There she saw, two girls sitting with their chairs facing the café squarely; one with an unmistakable fro—_is that a wig?—_and an oversized sunglasses hiding behind a large unfolded newspaper and another with a wide brim sunhat, sipping a beverage from a straw and sitting casually with a laptop in hand.

‘Unbelievable! Those idiots!’ she muttered and grabbed her things in a huff.

_______

‘So, there I was, just strolling about, when I figured, yeah, I could use some drinks, it was hot and I’m thirsty. So, I go up to the restaurant, went outside the patio and guess who I bumped into?’ she sucked her teeth and threw a side-eyed glance to her right.

Mayela rolled her eyes and shook her head, ‘Like I said, I was here much earlier and I’m here to do some work, as you can see,’ she pointed to her laptop and opened notebook.

‘Besides, it was your stupid clown getup and binoculars that gave us away.’ She pointed at Kayla’s offending items and screwed up her face in distaste.

Nayeli snapped her fingers in front of Kayla to call for her attention and to stop her from throwing dagger looks at Mayela.

‘Kayla, focus! Freaking finish the story, what happened next??’

Valentina marched her way out of the café onto the restaurant across; she stopped right in front of the two girls, her hands on her hips, akimbo, and heaving deep breaths as if readying herself to shriek at them or worst, tackle them, if only the gated fence wasn’t in her way.

‘What the hell are you guys doing here??’ said Valentina furiously and glared at them, still breathing deeply.

Kayla slowly lowered her sunglasses and folded the newspaper neatly, with a calculated tone she drew out, ‘Ok Vale, deep breaths there,’ she made a point to inhale and exhale loudly with her hands flourishing in and out to mimic a breathing motion, ‘relax, breathe in, breathe out, stop wrinkling your forehead, you wouldn’t want to be upset and bring bad ju-jus on your first date!’ Kayla puts both hands up in peace.

‘Take that damn wig off, I can’t take you seriously…’ Valentina snorted, unsure if her annoyance had abated yet, but for the time-being, she was glad for a distraction. She turned her head back towards the café and glimpsed at her watch, she has ten minutes to spare.

‘So? Care to explain why you two are here?’ she asked, still with her hands on her hips, she tapped her foot and glared.

Finally the girl with the laptop spoke, ‘For the record, I was here much earlier with the intention to do some work,’ she slammed her laptop shut for emphasis, ‘but the clown over there,’ she jerked her head sideways, ‘thought it was a great idea to stalk you.’

Kayla covered her mouth with her hand in mock disbelief; she gasped in a dramatic fashion, scandalized, and bellowed, ‘How dare you suggest such a thing! I was so _NOT_ stalking!’ She crossed her arms over her chest in a show of defiance and added, ‘For your information, I was here for moral support!’

Again, Valentina snorted and stole a glance behind.

‘Moral support, my ass…’

‘Go away, shoo! Shoo! You’re lucky I didn’t order a mariachi—’ Kayla rose from her seat and flailed her arms, ‘—Don’t you dare!’ Valentina cut her off.

Kayla guffawed and shooed her off, ‘Go away, don’t you have a date to attend to.’

Valentina looked down at her watch abruptly and sure enough ten minutes had already passed. She turned to cross the street but not before she whirled around to scowl, and unceremoniously, extended her middle finger towards them in jest.

‘We love you too, sweetie!’ was the last thing she heard as she entered the café for the second time.

____________

‘And then??’ Nayeli gripped the arm of the chair and leaned onto Kayla in suspense.

‘Well, I think you can make out the rest from there.’ Kayla said, frowning slightly, apparently thinking, and all the while never peeling her eyes from the scene beyond the window.

Valentina sat nervously with her legs jittering and her fingers drumming the table in a fret. Fifteen minutes had passed from the decided hour and the barista had already hinted, _twice_, that she must make a purchase if she intended to stay any longer.

She fidgeted with her phone and debated whether she should send another text, since the first two came unanswered; she sat gloomily and turned to look at the clock, her stomach growled and lurched as though she had missed a step going downstairs.

She clutched her phone and sent another text, _“Hey Juliana, this is Valentina. Are you on the way?”_

Valentina watched the words go unanswered and with every tick of the clock, her insides writhed as if it’s filled with lead.

__________

‘She got stood up?’ Nayeli’s eyes went round and whipped her head towards the café.

‘Well, almost,’ said Renata, her eyes glinted and her lips pursed, stifling an oncoming broad eat-shitting grin.

‘Oh what the hell did you guys do this time!?’

Kayla watched from her binoculars as Valentina slumped on the table, visibly moping. She then turned her sights towards the street, left and right, as if any minute now Juliana will come running off, but alas, half an hour had already passed and there was still no sign of the girl.

‘Hey Maye, Vale is looking pretty pouty, should we go get her?’

Mayela looked up from her work, checked her watch and her face darkened, ‘I don’t think Vale would appreciate us interrupting.’

‘Maye, she looks so pathetic, we gotta help her!’ she jolted upright and threw her hands towards the café.

Mayela tutted, gave a half shrug and contested, ‘What do you want me to do about it? Drag Juliana here?’

_________

‘But h-how? H-how did you know where—‘ 

At this point, Nayeli sat there with more questions than answers and before she can finish her sentence, Mayela beat her to the punch.

‘—Oh I have my ways.’ She quipped and smirked as she picked at her nails.

Mayela dialed her phone and was met with a voicemail. She creased her brows, contemplated for a moment and then typed out a long message and sent it.

She gazed towards the café; her eyes soften at the sight of a sulking Valentina. She rose from her chair, tidied the table and heaved a big sigh.

‘Oh the things I do for friends,’ she shook her head and made her way to collect the now sobbing Valentina.

Across the town, Kayla can be seen pedaling in a fury, weaving in and out of the traffic. She took a sharp corner and almost crashed into Renata who was already there, waiting for her.

‘You got here quick!’ Renata beamed in surprised, impressed, ‘so how are we gonna do this?’ she bounced on her toes, excitement clearly coursing through her.

Kayla clutched her chest, panting, and clucked her teeth, ‘easy there Ren, I’m doing the leg work.’

Renata stomped her feet, ‘What? No way! That’s not fair!’

Kayla whipped her phone out, digested a long message and looked around. She spotted the house and dragged Renata along.

‘Kayla let me do it!’

The girls stopped in front of the veranda; Kayla shushed her, ‘please Renata! Stick to the plan!’ and went around the house, towards the backyard.

Still pouting, Renata trudged her way up the front porch and rang the bell. She waited for a minute until the front door opened to reveal a woman in her forties, long jet black hair in a tight pony tail and a slim face that had an uncanny semblance to Juliana.

‘Hello! Good afternoon, I’m here….’

Beyond the front door, Renata was trying to stall Juliana’s mom about community council and neighbourhood watch, when she caught a glimpse of Kayla, traipsing from the kitchen up to the stairs, not too far from Mrs. Valdes.

‘As neighbours we wanted to let you know about….’

Kayla finally reaching the top landing, strained her ears to ensure Renata was still engaging the woman, tiptoed her way towards the bedroom door that had a sign, Juliana, on it.

She slowly turned the knob, peeked and slid inside a tidy room. She noted the several sketches that hung on the wall and quietly made her way towards the bed where poor Juliana lay in deep slumber.

Kayla noticed the phone on the pillow not too far from Juliana’s head; she reached over, careful not to trip or fall onto the sleeping figure.

Once in her hand, she fiddled with the phone and noticed several missed calls and texts, probably from Valentina and Mayela.

‘Oh no wonder! She had it on vibrate!’ She groaned out loud, almost forgetting herself, and watched horror-struck as Juliana turned on her side.

With lightning reflex, Kayla slammed herself flat onto the ground; her face was pressed onto the hardwood floor.

She stiffened and muffled her breathing.

_Please don’t be awake, please please._

She stayed in that position for a half a minute, rolled onto her back and looked up to see Juliana’s right hand dangling from the bed, close to her forehead, clearly still fast asleep.

Kayla scooted half of her body underneath the bed, just in case, and ever so slowly, she raised the phone towards the owner’s index finger. She held her breath and sent a little prayer to the heavens to help her out in this predicament.

There was an audible click.

_Yes!_

Juliana’s phone came unlock; she had just enough time to put the ringer on and tossed it back onto the bed when she heard the unmistakable thud of the front door closing.

_Shit!_

Kayla scurried under the bed; looking at the hardwood floor, she assessed her current situation. She felt the buzzing of her phone in her pocket and a thought dawn on her.

Tossing all caution to the wind, she whisked her phone and dialed Juliana’s number.

Juliana’s phone rang, its ringtone blaring loudly. It rang twice and still Juliana didn’t stir.

‘Oh my god, wake up!’

In her frustration, Kayla threw her head back, accidentally bumping her head onto the bed-frame.

With the incessant ringing of the phone and accidental lurched of the bed, Juliana jolted upright and woke with a start.

She must have grabbed her phone in haste, for the next thing Kayla heard was Juliana cussing up a storm, hurrying about the room, and watched her feet flurried from the door onto the stairs below.

Kayla scampered out of her hiding place, peered out the window and watched Juliana dashed through the street.

She sent a hasty text and dusted herself.

‘Mission accomplished.’

_________

‘No fucking way…absolutely no way…’

Nayeli just sat there open-mouthed, clearly dumbstruck at her friend’s, should she say stupidity or brilliance, she hasn’t quite made up her mind yet.

‘OH FUCK ME!—‘

Everyone whipped their heads towards the café; there was no mistaking it, that voice belonged to one very frustrated and probably pissed off Juliana.

The door chimed open and they watched as Valentina sauntered inside, her retort muffled by the door that closed instantly, muting the rest of scene.

‘And then you got here. That’s where we’re at right now.’

Valentina couldn’t help grinning broadly as she saw Juliana, although the girl was clearly in absolute panic, she was over the moon seeing that she hasn’t been stood up.

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and bounced on the balls of her feet, she retorted,

‘Woah, I’d love to, but I think we should keep it nice and slow.’

Valentina had a confused impression of a flash of anger and instant glistening tears from Juliana’s face as she turned her back on her and slumped onto a nearby chair with her hands burying her face.

‘Wait, I’m sorry, that was tactless!’ she said in a hurried apology which only intensified Juliana’s sobs.

She pulled up a chair beside Juliana and wrapped her arms around her, now realizing that the girl must have been upset, not with what she said, but by her own tardiness.

She cooed and brushed her hair, ‘It’s ok Juliana, you’re here now, it’s okay.’

Juliana burrowed her head onto Valentina’s chest, still sobbing and crying out repeated apologies. Valentina rocked them gently, easing the girl’s worry, and all the while basking at the warmth of their embrace.

Finally when Juliana sobbed her last tears, she straightened herself. Her eyes were puffy and red; she looked downcast and couldn’t seem to look at Valentina directly.

‘Hey c’mon, look at me,’ Valentina cupped Juliana face and wiped a lone tear with a tender brush of her thumb; as she gazed at her eyes, Valentina felt something twitched inside, something that made her dizzy for just a second.

She bit her lips and caught herself fighting for control. She hadn’t realized how pretty Juliana is up close and little by little she can feel the blood in her face and her knees go weak.

_My God, those eyes. Those soft, hazel eyes._

And for just a fleeting moment, a tiny wisp of spark hung in the air like fireflies in the summer skies, and Valentina, right there and then, understood that she was a goner.

With great strength, she turned away and took a deep breath, wondering what to do next, and when she finally started, she assumed her gaze back to Juliana and drew her voice barely above whisper.

‘Don’t cry anymore, ok? You’re here now, that’s what matters.’

They stayed like that for a long time before they realized that distance was closing in on them. Up close, Valentina saw how Juliana’s lashes fluttered shut and she too mindlessly closed hers and tilted her head, lost in a heady feeling of want.

The air suddenly rattled by the muffled, yet clearly audible, cries and hollers that most likely came out from across the street.

_Motherfuc…_

Valentina, still trembling at the close prospect of Juliana’s lips, settled for a kiss on the girl’s forehead instead.

She reached for her hand, and Juliana let her hold it as they rose from their chairs and stood next to one another.

‘Why don’t we just take that coffee to go and go for walk?’

Valentina said gently and looked glumly out the front door; Juliana followed her line of sight and understood.

‘Alright.’

Valentina promptly lead them to the counter and rang up their order in haste. Juliana had just enough time to thank the barista, when she felt a slight tug and Valentina motioned for her to exit, while she holds the door open for her.

Once outside, she had to hold back her laughter as she was met with riotous cheers from Valentina’s friends across the street, hooting and howling in unison, and clapping maniacally from where they’re grouped together by the patio.

Valentina clutched her hand and was determined to ignore her friends. She was impossibly red now, visibly embarrassed.

Juliana beamed at her and mouthed, _it’s okay,_ and let herself be led to wherever Valentina pleases.

Juliana watched their hands, their fingers entwined together; if she had thought that her attraction for Valentina over the summer was intense, today has doubled that, and it made her feel a little nervous in her presence.

Valentina gave her a small smile, with that sort of giddiness that she always exudes; Juliana just find it oh so infectious that she couldn’t help but let out a giggle herself.

She was falling fast and she didn’t know how to stop them.

Not that she wanted to.

.

.

.

Fin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry late post. I meant to wrap this up earlier this weekend but I kept getting slushed while trying out a challenge.
> 
> Drinking while writing, yeah, go figure. Anyway, it didn't work much as I found myself dozing off right after. :/
> 
> Frame stories, chopped up scenes and 3k word counts after, I realized I tragically suck at romance, hence the unnecessary coffee delays. Again, terribly sorry. I wonder if that ending made up for it. If it did, great, if not, well, it's an experimental write.
> 
> This is my first fic, so I feel a sense of accomplishment having wrapped this one up. 
> 
> As always, thank you for the read and all your wonderful words of encouragement. I hope it brought you some laughs and a little enjoyment as it did to me while writing.
> 
> I'm taking a brief hiatus from writing, but I'll be back shortly with another one, already got the plot planned out. See you all in my next write!

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written purely for entertainment consumption in dedication to my fellow Juliantinas. 
> 
> This write is shared in the spirit of camaraderie for the fandom that I've enjoyed and took solace upon for the past half year. 
> 
> I hope the read brought you some joy as it did to me while writing and I hope you take kindly for any grammatical error, editing is an unkind friend to me. 
> 
> And lastly, as always, thank you in advance.


End file.
